Modus Chair by Osvaldo Borsani & Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, 1970s

Osvaldo Borsani was born in 1911 in Varedo, Italy. He studied Beaux-Arts at Accademia di Brera in Milan and architecture at Politecnico di Milano, graduating in 1936. While still in school, Borsani participated in the fifth Milan Triennale, presenting his Casa Minima project, which earned him a silver medal. At the same time, he began collaborating with his father Gaetano in the family business, Atelier Varedo, producing fine cabinetry with European Deco influences. In 1932 the business was renamed Arredamento Borsani and opened its first space in Milan.  Around the same time, Borsani began to collaborate with Milanese artists such as Lucio Fontana, Agenore Fabbri, Arnaldo, and Gio Pomodoro.

In 1953, Osvaldo and his twin brother, Fulgenzio opened TECNO, a firm that became known for its technology and research-based approach to furniture design. Notable TECNO designs include the 1954 D70, a sofa that can assume approximately twenty positions; the 1955 P40 chaise, featuring mobile parts with adjustable backrest and armrests; and the 1968 Graphis office furniture system, created by Borsani and Eugenio Gerli.

In 1970, together with his daughter Valeria and Marco Fantoni, Borsani introduced the Centro Progetti Tecno, a collaborative design laboratory for new product development. Borsani passed away on April 16, 1985 in Milan.

Eugenio Gerli (b. 1923) is an Italian architect and industrial designer known for his long-lasting collaboration with the Italian architect-designer Osvaldo Borsani and the Italian manufacturer Tecno.

In 1949, Gerli graduated with a degree in engineering and began his career a year later, opening his own architectural and industrial design practice. Gerli began experimenting with various materials such as resin, felt, and molded plywood, which led to designs he presented in 1951 at the 9th Triennale di Milano; his bent plywood armchair for Forma (1950s); and the three-legged Sommaruga Chair (1950s), which was made from resin reinforced molded felt on a steel base. Architecturally, the firm focused on residential and public buildings, as well as the renovation of historic Italian buildings. Notable architectural projects include the Cardiology Clinic in Laveno-Monbello (1950), the Ambasciatori Theater in Milan (1954), the renovation and restoration of the Castiglioni Palace (1903). Gerli was later joined by his two sons, Enrico and Guido, in the 1970s.

In 1957 Gerli began a long and fruitful collaboration with the Borsani brothers, Fulgenzio and Osvaldo Borsani (1911-1985)—founders of the Italian furniture manufacturing company Tecno. In 1968, Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani exhibited their revolutionary Graphis Office System (1967) at the 14th Triennale di Milano. The system, which was made up of just three basic elements, was heralded as a revolution in office furniture design because the system’s modular components allowed unlimited and customizable combinations, which could grow (or contract) with the company. The system remained a bestseller for decades and Tecno became synonymous for technologically-advanced design. The partnership between Gerli and Tecno lasted for more than 35 years, and resulted in many 20th-century design classics such as the T92 Butterfly Table (1960 with Mario Cristiani); T69 Table (1963 with Borsani), which features a cast dovetailing central base; the stackable S83 Chair (1966), and the PS142 and S142 armchairs (both 1966), among others.

During the 1970s, Tecno launched its Centro Progetti Tecno (CPT), an in-house team dedicated to communications and industrial design work. The team, which included Gerli, Valeria Borsani, Kugo Toru, Borsani and his son Marco, became a driving force of technologically advanced ideas in design. Although Borsani remained in charge, the purpose of the department was to present future designs as group creations. The CPT was responsible for a number of the company’s successes, including the molded plastic Modus Office Chair (1972), which won the SMAU Prize in 1973; the steel mesh Waiting System (1983), a modular seating and table concept for large public spaces; and the rebranding of Alitalia worldwide (1982-84), for which Centro Progetti Tecno was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1984.

Although Gerli's career as an architect-designer was prolific, his work is often overshadowed by his contemporaries and the legacy of his long-term partner, Osvaldo Borsani. 

The roots of Italian industrial design company Tecno go back to the early 1920s, when woodworker and upholsterer Gaetano Borsani (1886-1955) set up Atelier Borsani Varedo (later called Arredamenti Borsani Varedo) in Varedo, Italy. In those early years, the family business produced fine, bespoke furnishings in a style that reflected the Art Deco movement as well as the artisanal traditions of the Brianza region of Lombardy. Participation in the Mostra Internazionale di Arte Decorative exhibitions in Monza earned Atelier Borsani acclaim in 1925, 1927, and 1930.

Gaetano’s twin sons Fulgenzio and Osvaldo Borsani took active roles in the company from an early age. While still studying architecture at Beaux-Arts Accedemia di Brera, Osvaldo designed a rationalist furniture collection, called Casa Minima, and presented it at the 5th Triennale di Milano in 1933. The project won a silver medal. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s, Atelier Borsani was commissioned by Lombary’s elite society to create furniture for large and upscale domestic and office interiors.

Following the Second World War, Osvaldo began to envision transitioning his family’s business from traditional craft production to industrial manufacturing—even though his father Gaetano did not like the idea. Osvaldo remained determined to use modernist principles to design for the changing lifestyles of the postwar era. Together with his brother Fulgenzio, Osvaldo founded a new company, Tecno, in 1953.

Tecno’s first factory-produced collection of sofas, chairs, and tables received an enthusiastic reception at the 10th Triennale di Milano in 1954. The simple, adjustable D70 Sofa Bed (1954) received honorable mention, and Osvaldo promptly patented the design. Tecno’s next big hit was the P40 Lounge (1956), an adjustable, reclining chair with built-in footrest. Both of these Tecno products have become beloved symbols of the golden age of Italian modernist design.

While Osvaldo was inspired by the functionalist theories of the pioneers of modernism that practiced the generation before him, the flexibility and multipurpose capacities of Tecno’s earliest designs can also be traced to the work produced by Atelier Borsani Varedo. Gaetano’s success was built upon creating well made, customized, and adaptable furnishings. Osvaldo’s primary aim, in contrast to his father’s, was to take smart design solutions to the masses, especially in the context of office buildings and public spaces, like train stations, airports, and hospitals. 

In 1957, Osvaldo received his first first large-scale commission to design office furniture for ENI, the Italian multinational oil and gas company. More major commissions followed, and Tecno became internationally known for designs based in advanced technology.

In 1968, Tecno introduced the Graphis Office System (1967)—designed by Osvaldo Borsani and Eugenio Gerli (b. 1923)—at the 14th Triennale di Milano; it was heralded as a revolution in office furniture design because the system’s modular components allowed unlimited and customizable combinations that adapt overtime as companies grow and contract. It remained a bestseller for Tecno for decades.

In 1970, as Osvaldo began to step away from day-to-day operations and his son-in-law, Marco Fantoni, took a larger role—Tecno restructured its design approach. Underscoring the collaborative effort that goes into developing new designs, Tecno launched its Centro Progetti Tecno, an in-house team dedicated to communications and industrial design work. The Centro Progetti Tecno was responsible for a number of the company’s successes in the ’70s and ’80s, including the molded plastic Modus Office Chair (1972), which won the SMAU Prize in 1973; the steel mesh Waiting System (1983), a modular seating and table concept for large public spaces; and the rebranding of Alitalia worldwide (1982-84), for which Centro Progetti Tecno was award the Compasso d’Oro in 1984.

In the 1980s, Tecno began to commission outside designers to produced furniture designs—an approach that continues to this day. Highlights include Norman Foster’s Nomos Tables (1986); Luca Scacchetti’s Ianus Desk and Storage System (1988); Emilio Ambasz’s Qualis Chairs (1991), Piero Lissoni ‘s Asymmetrical System (2006); Rodolfo Dordoni’s PONS D011 Sofa and Table System (2011); Monica Förster’s Archipelago D502 Seating System (2012); and Luca Scacchetti’s Vara T503 Tables and Storage System (2013).

Tecno has also found success cultivating long-term partnerships with leading architects, who have commissioned Tecno to provide tailor-made furniture solutions for landmark buildings, such as Foster + Partners’ refurbished British Museum in London and Jean Nouvel's Agbar Tower in Barcelona.

In 2008, Tecno opened new Milan offices in the Porta Garibaldi Excise Buildings, following extensive adaptation and refurbishment work. Today, many Tecno products can be found in the collections of leading museums around the world such as  New York, SF MoMA, Victoria & Albert London, Pompidou Centre Paris, Neue Sammlung Monaco, Museum of Decorative Arts Montreal, and Triennale Milano.